Why business coaching is a springboard to franchising success

Coming from a thriving franchise background, ActionCOACH Jeff Williams is perfectly primed to help other franchises unleash their full potential

After decades of success as a franchisee and franchisor with lawn treatment business GreenThumb, Jeff Williams sought to embark on a journey just as rewarding.

When it came to growing a new career, his mission was to cultivate businesses to support a flourishing community. He wasn’t sure how best to share his expertise, so when he unearthed the franchise opportunity at ActionCOACH, he began to see business coaching as the solution to planting him firmly in his community while reaping the benefits of a healthy income and work-life balance.

Turning passion into potential

The pandemic hit Petpals, a pet care service franchise, hard, wiping out 90% of their business almost overnight. Despite the sudden drop, managing director Kevin Thackrah and his team worked tirelessly to bring the company back to its pre-Covid status. It was following this period of intense focus on daily operations and recovery that Kevin turned to ActionCOACH, seeing their services as a springboard to elevate the franchise to the next level.

Founded in 2001, Petpals was launched with the aim to deliver the highest standards of ethical pet care – from dog walking to pet taxis. Since launching, Petpals has grown into a multi-award-winning business operating in over 150 locations across the country.

On the route back to recovery, Kevin encountered ActionCOACH through a British Franchise Association (BFA) pandemic advice surgery and was immediately intrigued by the support it could offer to both him and his business.

“The first time I met Action Coach Jeff Williams, he was presenting a BFA webinar in 2020 for franchisors looking to bounce back from the pandemic. I remember what he was saying really resonated with me, so I contacted him right after the session,” says Kevin.

A fresh perspective

What resulted from the initial contact with Jeff was Kevin joining a group coaching session, before moving onto one-to-one sessions. “I wanted to achieve a change of emphasis from just a lifestyle to a management model franchise,” says Kevin. “With Jeff’s help, we really went about defining what that entailed. We talked through refreshing Petpals’ vision, mission, and values, supporting this new direction for both our existing and prospective franchisees.

“I’ve been managing businesses for over 40 years, so I know I’m pretty good at what I do but sometimes you need fresh perspectives from external sources. Jeff was exactly that. He encouraged me to ask questions or frame my mindset in a way I might previously not have done in my day-to-day activities. Jeff also made me accountable for my progress which gave me the extra motivation to keep going in the right direction.”

Trusting the team

Kevin valued the coaching so much, he decided to include his senior management team in the development process. “I deliberately took a step back to let them develop and I’m so pleased to see how far they’ve come,” says Kevin. “Like many business owners, I was working in the business and not working on the business, so feeling able to leave my team to take accountability for the day-to-day delivery of their areas of the business has been great.

“Now, with thanks to Jeff’s coaching and the fantastic abilities of my team, we’re managing our franchise network much more proactively. This has resulted in franchisees feeling they’re getting more from us, and I know they’ll continue to deliver an excellent service.”

Kevin didn’t just think he and his team could benefit from coaching, he came to a clear realisation that ActionCOACH’s expertise would offer substantial support to both his new and existing franchisees. “Petpals offers so many opportunities to be a financially rewarding business for our franchisees and an enjoyable experience for animal lovers. We’re a lot more than just our original dog-walking service, having developed many more service lines.

“So, I decided to offer ActionCOACH support to every new franchisee, funded entirely by us for the first three months. One of the first new franchisees to benefit from working with an Action Coach was James.”

James Callow launched Petpals Crawley in early 2023 and has experienced one of the fastest-growing Petpals franchises in recent times. “Kevin told me he was providing me with three months of fully funded independent business coaching which I knew would be a great help to me as I was just starting out,” James says.

“I wanted a deeper understanding of business development. After engaging in some productive and in-depth sessions with Jeff, I felt I could better control my business and had a much clearer grasp on how to grow it. His advice worked – I was able to triple my turnover from day one to six months in.”

Looking to the future

For Kevin, the true value of coaching lies in gaining a clear understanding of his and Petpals’ future objectives. “I think we’re all singing from the same hymn sheet in where we want to go,” he says. “Our focus right now is on the recruitment of new franchisees who want to build a team of pet carers to offer a full range of services and make a real difference to their communities.

“We’ve always provided a strong support team at head office but the addition of an Action Coach at the start of their business is proving an exciting proposition for our prospects.

“In terms of my future, even though I love running Petpals, I have the luxury of being able to step back when I want to. We’ve reached a place where I don’t need to be as deeply involved and I’m happy to leave the business in the capable hands of the team. Jeff’s involvement has had such a positive impact on Petpals, and I know the business is set to lead the way for years to come.”

The coach’s perspective

“When Kevin got in touch, I knew I could use my expertise in franchising and in developing leadership teams to support his vision for a transformation for the brand. I could tell Kevin was an outstanding businessman – he wasn’t afraid to embrace working with a coach, seeing it as an opportunity rather than a weakness. His decision to fund coaching for their new franchisees is better than any Google review I could have asked for!”

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